Four NUP supporters released on bail in Hoima

Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Hoima Grade One Magistrates court has granted bail to four National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters arrested earlier this week.

The four were arrested on Wednesday morning along Hoima Persy Road in Hoima West division Hoima city on allegations of holding unlawful assembly.

The NUP supporters who have been granted bail include Hannington Kasasa 24, the NUP spokesperson for Hoima district, Jim Mukonye 20, the General Secretary NUP Hoima, Collins Birungi 25 and Favour Ssentamu 36.

On the day in question, the four NUP supporters with others still at large collected a heap of soil and started filling the many potholes existing on the Persy street behind Hoima central market in the middle of the Hoima City center.

Upon getting the information, police swung into action and arrested the four while the other supporters managed to escape and fled to unknown destination.

They were immediately whisked to Hoima central police station where they have been in detention until Friday afternoon when they were produced before the Hoima Grade One magistrate’s court.

While at police they were charged with holding unlawful assembly an act that attracted many people which was likely to escalate the spread of COVID-19.

The four while appearing before Winnie Nankya, the Hoima Grade one Magistrate on Friday evening pleaded not guilty to the offense put against them.

The Magistrate granted each of the NUP supporters a non-cash bail of 500,000 shillings while each of their sureties who are also NUP supporters have been asked to execute a non-cash bail of sh1 million.

They will reappear before court on November 8, 2021 for further hearing of their case.

Speaking shortly after their release, Hannington Kasasa, the NUP spokesperson for Hoima says they will not be intimidated by police saying the work of fixing the potholes existing on Percy street was meant as a signal to the city authorities who they accuse of neglecting their duties of maintaining all the roads in the city center.

He wonders why police rushed to arrest them yet they were fixing the potholes that have become scenes of rampant accidents in the City Cente. He said city authorities kept a deaf ear despite several pleas from members of the public to have the potholes fixed.

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URN